Into Deep Mist
by Au Crowne
Summary: Allen and Mana were separated at one point. An unexpected help comes from a certain minister. After Mana's death, that minister offers something that Allen needs... A family. Will Sheryl choose to keep Allen from the holy war? Or possibly... NoahAllen!
1. The Lost Boy

_**Selfine: Hai! The author hopes that you'll enjoy this story. Please leave a review!**_

**Into Deep Mist:**

**Allen and Mana were separated at one point. An unexpected help comes from a certain minister. After Mana's death, that minister offers something that Allen needs... A family. Will Sheryl choose to keep Allen from the holy war? Or...**

* * *

"Mana! Mana!", Allen yelled."Mana..."

Allen sat on the snow covered bench with a sniff. He was alone and worse, he didn't know where he was. He began to break into sobs. He always hated being left alone. He wasn't sure if he could find Mana.

"Mana...", he whispered with a sob."w-where are you...?"

"What's the matter, boy?"

Allen looked up with tear-welled eyes. The man looked like a politician or something. He was wearing a fancy suit. His black long hair was tied at the back. The man looked at him with concern in his eyes. As Sheryl looked at the boy, it felt like he looked familiar to him.

"Are you lost?", he asked.

Allen meekly nodded, still sobbing. Sheryl considered the situation. He can't just leave the boy alone. It's already too dark. And if something happened to this boy, he knew that his conscience wouldn't be able to take it.

_'Conscience, huh'_, Sheryl thought. How ironic, coming from a noah.

"What's your name..?"

"...Allen", the boy answered.

"Allen, I could help you find your way back home but we'll have to search tomorrow. It's already too dark..."

"Y-you're going to help me find Mana?"

Sheryl nodded."Well, let's go."

Allen got off the bench. As soon as he did that, he began to hesitate. What if the man's intention is really to hurt him? Sheryl noticed the boy's hesitation. He crouched in front of the boy. He ruffled Allen's hair and gave him a warm smile.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything that would hurt you. After all, I'm going to help you, right?"

Allen nodded. He's almost like Mana. Sheryl stood up and held Allen's arm. They reached his house after a few minutes. Not that it can be called that. It was more like a mansion. Luckily, no one was there at the time when they entered the house. The minister was secretly glad. If any of the other noahs were there, he knew that he'll have a hard time explaining.

"You're probably tired. You should rest early if were going to look for...Mana", Sheryl said.

"Sir, do you live here alone?"

"Just Sheryl."

"I don't think it would be appropriate, sir", Allen replied.

Sheryl had to smile at that. A little gentleman, eh. It looked cute seeing a small child acting like a gentleman. It reminds him of someone but he couldn't quite place it. Sheryl noticed that Allen was rubbing his eyes. He was attempting to keep himself awake.

"You should sleep now...", Sheryl said. Allen just nodded a response, he was too sleepy to answer.

They entered one of the spare rooms in his house. Sheryl settled the sleepy boy on the boy. He smiled as the boy mumbled words. He's probably too tired.

"T.. hank.. you", the boy mumbled."You're... a... nice... person."

Allen trailed off and drifted to sleep. Sheryl gazed at the sleeping boy. He had called him 'nice'. That doesn't exactly fits as a description for a noah. He left the room to leave Allen to rest properly.

* * *

Allen rubbed his eyes and yawned. The sun was already out. He had slept too long. He quickly got off the bed and ran downstairs.

"Hmmm, so you're already awake", Sheryl greeted."Care to join me for breakfast?"

Allen looked up at Sheryl with a surprised look."Sir, I don't think..."

"Nonsense!", Sheryl exclaimed." And didn't I tell you just to call me Sheryl?"

"Uhh..Si-", Allen began but trailed off after glancing at the minister. It didn't feel right to Allen. Adults are supposed to be respected, right?." Would Sir Sheryl be alright?", he asked.

"I don't think formalities are necessary", Sheryl said. It confused Allen a little. He had seen some adults who hurt those who didn't show them respect. Sheryl saw Allen's expression and smiled." So, care to join me?"

Allen nodded a little. He sat on one of the chairs beside the minister and began to eat quietly.

"Where were you before you were separated from Mana?", Sheryl asked. He have to know where they needed to look first.

Allen thought about it for a second." At the circus..."

"Then that would be the first place we'll stop by to search", Sheryl said.

"Why there?"

"It's because Mana would probably be looking for you there...", Sheryl answered. Allen finished his food and stood up. Sheryl iped his mouth and stood up too. He offered his hand to Allen.

"...Now let's go find Mana."

They arrived at the circus around 8 am. They were greeted by the large circus tents and trailers. There were only a few people there. Probably because it's still early and the circus won't open till night.

"I told you he'll appear", a voice said. It came from behind Sheryl and Allen. They both turned around and saw three men. Allen quickly hid behind Sheryl.

"Hey, you're that freak with Mana, right?", one of them said.

"If you're looking for him, he's already gone", the other one added."I bet he intended to leave you here."

"Mana won't do that!", Allen yelled from behind Sheryl.

"You should just come with us...", one of the men said and tried to grab Allen but Allen ran away from reach.

"I suggest that you leave the boy alone", Sheryl said.

"W-what? This is none of your business!"

"It would be mine since you're doing it in front of me. And I can't just let you hurt the boy", Sheryl answered with a silky voice.

"Why you!", the man growled. He raised his fist at Sheryl. The minister didn't move as the man swung his fist at him. Before it was able to reach Sheryl's face, it stopped.

Sheryl stepped forward, leaning close to him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to move. After all he had restricted him from any movements.

"If you keep bothering the boy", Sheryl said in a low voice enough for the man to hear but not Allen."I'll personally see your death. And I'll be the one who'll do it."

The man was now terrified. He wasn't sure if it was the threat the scared him more or the way the minister was smilinh as he make the threat. Sheryl released the man. He fell on the ground and scampered away in fear. The remaining two followed him in confusion.

"Well, that was necessary", Sheryl said.

Sheryl saw a small smile forming on Allen's face.'The first one since I've met him', he thought. The boy must be feeling better for him to smile.

"Allen!"

Allen's eyes lit up. He recognize the voice."Mana!"

Sheryl just watched as Allen ran up to meet a distinguished man with brown hair. So maybe that's why the boy looks familiar. Sheryl approached Mana with a smile.

"I suppose you should take care of that child more properly", he said as a greeting . He turned to Allen."I'll be taking my leave now. I hope we'll see each other again.

"Bye, Sir Sheryl!"

"Just Sheryl."

* * *

Sheryl gazed up at the moon that night. He was wondering himself on why he hadn't reported his encounter with the fourteenth's brother, Mana, to the Millenium Earl. Maybe it's because it didn't fee; right to him.'How foolish', he thought but smiled to himself. At least he knows that he's still partly human.

The minister laughed as a memory passed through his mind. So that's why the way the boy acting as a gentleman reminded him of someone.

The boy reminded him of himself and his brother, Tyki when they were young.

"That boy is really amusing..."

_**Selfine: Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review!**_


	2. Awakening of the Heart

_**Selfine: Sorry if the author wasn't able to update this fanfic earlier. Anyway here's a new chappie! Please leave a review!**_

* * *

"Ne, you're not even listening, Father!", Road Camelot complained.

Sheryl snapped out of his thoughts. He turned and smiled to his adopted daughter. They were at the garden of his mansion. Road had just came from the Ark and his wife, Tricia, had just arrived after visiting a friend, along with their maids. That was why there were no person here when he had brought the boy. Somehow, his thought had drifted to the boy that was with the Musician's brother.

"Can you repeat the last bit?", Sheryl asked.

"I was saying that I'm getting bored waiting...", Road repeated, frowning.

"You'll just have to wait a little longer, I think we're close to beginning", he assured Road.

Road skipped pass Sheryl and twirled happily in front of the minister."I hope we get to start sooner...", Road said, smiling."Then things will get more interesting, right Father?"

Sheryl nodded then he turned his gaze at the sky...'Once they begin'. He wondered what would happen to the boy when the Millenium Earl found the Musician's brother have him killed.

"Mana, where are we going?", Allen asked.

He looked around anxiously. He didn't like the town they were in. It's so quite that it was scaring him. He walked closer to Mana. It was still afternoon and yet it's already dark.

"We need to find a place to stay...", Mana said."It looks like it's about to rain."

They found an inn easily. It was the first one they saw in the town and surprisingly it was empty. The inn keeper gladly gave them a room. She gave them a strange smile as they took the key.

"Are you new here?", she asked."You must be travellers..."

Mana nodded."Yes..."

"I hope you'll enjoy enjoy your stay here..."

Somehow, there's something strange on how the lady said that but Allen just stayed quiet. The sooner they got out of the town, the better. it was dark on their way to the room. Mana switched on the light in the room.

"I don't like this town, Mana", Allen said as they entered.

"I have the same feeling, Allen", Mana said then turned to Allen."I suppose you'd want to take a bath now..."

"Not in the mood..."

Mana smiled and tickled Allen. Allen giggled and rolled over to his side."Still not in the mood?", he asked Allen.

"F-fine", Allen answered, still giggling."But I can take a bath by myself... I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Mana only watched as Allen scampered towards the bathroom. He noticed that the boy rarely mentions his father. There are times that it occured to him that Allen might have forgotten his father.'No, that can't be...', Mana thought. He settled himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been five years since he had taken his brother's son into his custody. Allen had been very young back then. He barely knew his father. He was given to him during the time when the Musician thought of killing the Millenium Earl. Mana heard the bathroom door open and closed.

"That was quick...", Mana commented.

Allen didn't answer. He only smiled and sat beside Mana on the bed. His eyes gazed at the window. It was still dark outside.

"Mana, you won't leave me, right?", Allen suddenly asked. This took Mana by surprise. He took a glance at Allen. The question seems to have only popped inside the boy's mind.

"What made you ask that?", he asked.

"I don't know...", Allen admitted."I just thought that maybe."

Allen's voice trailed off. Now this had really gotten Mana's attention. Something was definitely bothering Allen. But what?... He thought about it for a second.

"Is it about your arm?", he guessed. Allen averted his eyes. So he gussed right."What's the matter?"

Allen hesitated for a moment."It's acting weird...", he finally said.

"Weird?", Mana repeated. He removed the glove on Allen left's hand. He noticed that the cross on the boy's hand was glowing faintly. He's never seen it happened before. At the same time, the window glass shattered. They both glanced out in surprise. They saw several ball-like creatures hovering in front of them.'This is bad', Mana thought, he immediately recognized them. Akumas. He had encountered some of them when he was still with his younger brother. He saw the akumas preparing to fire again, he instinctively ducked Allen below.

The bullets whizzed pass them. Mana glanced at Allen. He was shaking. Mana scooped up Allen and carried him out of the room. As they came towards the door, they saw the inn keeper blocking the door. She changed into an akuma within a minute. Are they attracted to the innocence attached on Allen's hand?

"Ma-na...", Allen said in a low voice.

Mana looked at him. His voice seems to be shaken. Mana saw the innocence glowing brighter. It must be reacting against the akumas. Mana saw the akuma preparing to attack. Mana backed away a few steps and felt the wall behind him. Trapped.

"Not so easy, isn't it?", the akuma sneered.

He covered Allen and shut his eyes closed. He expected to be hit by the akuma's bullet by now but it never came. He slowly opened his eyes. It was just enough to see the akuma explode.

"Allen...", Mana said in disbelief.

Allen stood there... In the middle of the room, just in front of him. Allen's left hand was replaced by an oversized claw. Suddenly the claw moved itself. It was as if it had a will of its own. It killed all the akumas in the town... Everyone in that town were akumas... Mana approached the sobbing boy. Allen's hand had returned to normal. He tapped Allen on the shoulder. Allen looked up with tear-welled eyes.

"_He_ said they were crying, Ma-na...", he murmured."_He_ said they were trapped. T-that they wanted to be free of those chains..."

"You're not after the Musician's brother anymore?", Sheryl asked.

"Yes", the Millenium Earl answered.

This was definitely a surprise to Sheryl. He felt that something else had caught the Earl's attention for him to advert his focus from the Musician's brother but he only kept silent. They were at the Noah's Ark that time. Most of the Noahs were there. Just for dinner. The Millenium Earl always tells them that family should always comes first.

"Something else had caught my eye...", the Earl said.

"Something else?", Tyki Mikk repeated.

"I believe that the fourteenth has a son..."

"Eh? A son?", Road exclaimed."Are you sure?"

The Millenium Earl nodded."I remembered the fourteenth mentioning about that..."

"What's special about that boy, Lord Millenium?", Lulu Bell asked. She was the one the represents the 'Lust' of Noah truly named Lustul. Her blonde hair was always tied in a ponytail.

"That boy is possibly the fourteenth's successor, Lulu Bell", The Earl answered."And also..."

"... The one who'll be the next Musician", Sheryl continued.

"If we get his son to be on our side...", The Millenium Earl said."He might be able to remove the fourteenth's spell over the Ark."

"Have you seen the boy before?", Tyki asked.

He shook his head."The fourteenth had always been careful when it comes to regards about his real family. He never even mentioned his son's name even once."

"The Musician...", Road said thoughtfully."He was the only one... The only noah who cared more for his real family."


	3. Disturbance of Death

_**Suishou Yume: I've been thinking if this story's still fine... never mind. Anyway, here's a new update**_

"Are you going to leave me now?"

"Allen...", Mana said. He sat down beside Allen and ruffled Allen's hair,"I made a promise, remember?"

"Mana...", Allen looked up at Mana. Mana pulled him suddenly into a hug. He's never been the type to do that but he felt Allen needed it. Allen sobbed silently into his arms. He patted Allen. He knew it was too much for a child to bear. But Mana knew Allen won't have any choice but to face it someday."I don't understand it, Mana..."

"It's alright, Allen", Mana assured him.

"When... when my hand turned to something else, I began to hear voices", Allen said. He finally stopped sobbing."But above all of those wailing voices, I heard a man's voice... It seemed familiar to me."

"A voice?"

Allen nodded, he looked up at Mana."... He said he was the Musician."

'Neah...', Mana thought. Even after his death, he made sure that his son would be safe at all cost. He stood up and gazed at the sky. He turned and smiled at Allen."Everything would be fine, Allen", he said.

Allen smiled back at Mana. This boy had became close to him throughout the years. It was like Allen had became his own son. He wouldn't let anything destroy Allen' s peaceful life even if it meant his own life.

OOoOOoooOOOoooOOOooOO

"It would be hard looking for someone you haven't seen before"

"I already know that...", Tyki said."But the Duke insisted."

Sheryl just smiled at his brother. He went to his files cabinet and pulled out a really thick folder."Here", he said as he handed the folder to Tyki.

"What's this?"

"That's the list of persons related to the Musician", Sheryl answered."I had the akumas searched for it. Of course, I haven't looked at it myself. I thought it was suppose to be your job..."

Tyki frowned."Some help you are", he muttered. He opened the folder,"There's more than a hundred persons here!"

"That's why I didn't bother to look at it...", Sheryl said with a laugh.

"Are you sure all of these people are related to him?"

"Of course", Sheryl said."But If you'd like, you can take a look at the other files..."

"What files?"

"It's also a list", he said as he brought out another folder and handed it to Tyki."It's a list of all the registered Walkers."

"You should have shown it to me first..."

Sheryl smiled."I figured you'd want to take a look at the first one since it's longer..."

"You just want me to suffer...", Tyki muttered.

Sheryl laughed lightly and went out of the room. He strolled through the vast hallway and entered Road's room. He saw Road inside her room, gazing out of the window. He closed the door behind him.

"Ne, Father", Road said."What do you think the Musician's son would be like?"

"I'm not sure about that", the minister answered."But he must be a little bit like the fourteenth..."

"The Fourteenth...", Road repeated.

"I'm not exactly familiar with the details...", Sheryl admitted."But what did the fourteenth do?"

"He betrayed the Noahs...", Road answered, it was almost a whisper.

"How?"

"He gave... His ability to some human and ran away...", Road answered."And also... He tried to kill Duke Millenium."

"The Fourteenth... tried to kill the Duke?"

Road nodded then glanced out of the window again. Sheryl sat on the chair. It must have been hard for the First Child. Having to witness the youngest member of the family betraying them. It could be a bad experience for the oldest child.

oOoooooOOoOooOOOOoooOOooooOO

Mana smiled as he watched Allen happily ran through the snow. The events that happened yesterday seems to have been forgotten by the boy. They were at the park. His memory flashed back at when Allen was given to him by his younger brother. He had seen Neah's hesitation on leaving Allen but he knew that his son wouldn't be safe if he stayed with him. The Millenium Earl's still after him. Allen's mother had already been killed by an akuma on the Duke's orders. He can't Allen be killed because of him. That was the reason why he trusted Allen in Mana's custody. Mana's travelling during that time so the Millenium Earl wouldn't be able to track them down easily.

"Mana!", Allen called."You're spacing out..."

Mana laughed."Was I?", he said then looked at the sky. It was already getting dark."I guess we should find a place to stay now. It's already getting dark and also it's going to be awfully cold tonight considering the weather..."

Allen nodded and took Mana's hand. Mana stood up and they walked out of the park. There were already a few people outside. They strolled around, looking for a place where they could stay for the night. As they were going through an alley, three men blocked the way and also two appeared behind them. They were obviously drunk.

"Give us your money!", one of them demanded. All of them brought out their knives.

"Mana...", Allen said in a low voice.

"We don't have any money...", Mana lied. They were at the worse possible situation.

"Don't lie to us!"

"We really don't have any", Mana repeated firmly. Allen hid behind him, he didn't like the way they were looking at them.

"This is a waste of time...", another one said, complaining.

"Nah, I know he's only lying", the first one insisted.

"This is already frustrating me!"

As they were arguing, Mana backed away a few steps. They have to get out of here. The drunk men noticed it and it seemed to anger them."Allen, run!", Mana yelled.

They broke into a run with the drunk men after them. Allen could finally see the end of the alleyway. Once they're out of there, he knew they would be safe. Allen suddenly felt something wet splashed on his back. He turned around. His eyes widen as he saw Mana.

"Ma...Mana!"

Allen could see the long knife sticking out of Mana's coat. The blood dripped on the snow on the ground. Mana fell forward on the snow. Allen just stood there, frozen in place... This can't be happening. He can see the blood seeping out of the wound, staining the snow.

"You should just have given us your money...", One of them sneered, practically stepping on Mana's back.

"W-Why?...", Allen asked softly. He looked up at them with tear-welled eyes.

"What?", the first one asked.

"Looks like the little boy i-", One of them began sneering but he never got to finish it.

"Can... Can you please die?", Allen asked the man innocently.

The man's eyes widen. He just stared at the boy in front of him. He was faintly smiling as he said those words. Then his gaze was transfixed on the over sized claw that went through his body. Allen withdrew the claw and just watched as the man fell backwards. The other men stared at Allen in disbelief. The claw was now soaked in blood. The men tried to run away, out of panic but they never got out of that alley. Allen just stared at the dead bodies. He didn't even felt the slightest guilt. They deserved it. His left returned back to normal but it was still soaked in blood.

He fell on his knees, he could feel tears flowing down his cheeks. Those... Humans. They had always been judgemental based on his own experience. But this was the worse they've done. They've killed the only person who cared for him. He's now alone... Again.

"Ma... Mana", Allen said gazing at the sky. He let his tears flow down.


	4. Lamentation

_**Selfine: Here's a new chapter for you! Oh, I've spotted the errors in the last chapter and I'm having that rewritten. Please leave your reviews! I forgot to do this in the previous chapters but... Here goes! Disclaimers: The author doesn't own the characters in D. Gray- Man!

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**_

"This is really frustrating...", Tyki complained.

Sheryl looked from the carriage's window to his brother. He was still looking at the list of registered Walkers."What's the matter?", the minister asked his brother.

"It says here that the fourteenth doesn't have any son...", Tyki answered.

"Are you sure?"

Tyki nodded and closed the folder."There's no record that supports that the fourteenth had a son...", he said,"Maybe the Earl had mistaken..."

"I don't think that's the case...", Sheryl said.

Tyki looked up with a surprised look at the minister."What do you mean?"

"The Duke hardly makes any mistakes when it concerns his siblings", Sheryl said."Perhaps is is the Fourteenth's doing..."

Tyki sighed."I should have expected that this wouldn't be easy...", he muttered.

Sheryl smiled and gazed back out of the carriage's window. As it passed through one fo the streets, he noticed that a large quantity of people had gathered around one of the alleys. He had the carriage stopped. Sheryl stepped outside and turned to his brother."You should ho ahead, Tyki"

"Where are you going?", Tyki asked.

"I'm just going to check on something...", the minister answered with a smile."I don't know but something had gotten my interest... Tell the Duke that I might not be able to join him for dinner."

Sheryl watched as the carriage disappeared from view. He slightly fixed his top hat and adjusted his monocle. He approached the crowd."What's happening here", he asked.

"Ah, Minister Camelot", an officer acknowledge. She gazed from him to the alley. She sighed and turned back to the minister."Some guys, about five people, had been killed here. The reason of death is due to blood loss although I can't exacyl guess who... or what had killed them."

"Can I take a closer look?", the minister asked the officer.

The officer nodded and lead the minister closer to the scene of the crime. Now, the minister can clearly see it. The dead bodies were lying on the snow, on a pool of blood. One look at them and you could guess that they were killed quite brutally. Sheryl smiled to himself, it amuses some part of him. He wondered what kind of person could kill like that. Then he realized that one is missing. One body. The killer must have taken it out of there. Sheryl noticed a shredded piece of green cloth on the bloodstained snow. He recognize it immediately. It was the boy's. The boy that was with the Musician's brother. He couldn't have killed them, can he? The boy looked too innocent to do something that brutal. He sighed to himself, During this days, anything can be possible...

OooOooOOOOoooOoooOooOooooOOOO

Allen just continued walking. He ignored the strange stares he had been getting from the residents of the town. They were looking at him with disgusted looks. He didn't know where he was going. Mana was already gone... He had already buried him outside the town with the help of his... the large claw. He hadn't bother to remove the blood stains on his coat. He sighed inwardly, he was alone again.

Suddenly, several children started to throw stones at him. He could faintly hear them calling him a freak... A monster. The glove and sleeve of his left hand had been shredded back when his left hand turned into a large claw. The deformity of his left hand can be clearly seen by the residents of the town.

"Get out of here, you freak!", one boy yelled as he threw another stone at Allen.

Allen felt something inside him snapped. The children started to throw stones at him again, the stones were getting bigger than the first one. Allen felt blood flowing from a fresh wound caused by a stone thrown at him. The adults were only watching them, they didn't even tried to stop them... Humans. They're all the same. His left arm glowed faintly and changed into a large claw. He placed it in front of him to protect him from the stones. He felt the stone showers were ceasing. He looked up from the large claw. The children was just staring at him with wide eyes. Allen suddenly swung the large claw at one of the boys near him. The boy was sent flying inyo the wall of a coffee shop. Allen saw blood trickled out of the boy's wound. He turned to the other children. They ran away in panic. Even the adults were not running around like crazy. He grinned to himself.

Blood splattered on the white snow as several bodies fell on it. It faintly reminded him of what happened the night before. The night when Mana was killed. He stepped forward. In front of him was the only person left alive. The man was cowering at the corner of his house."Pl-Please do-don't kill me!", the man begged.

"Eh, why would I?"

"Pl-please!", the man scampered towards Allen and knelt in front of the small child.

"You're all the same... Only Mana was different from you...", Allen said. He looked down at the man with bored eyes.

The man's eyes widen. He can't believe that such a small child can kill without feeling the slightest guilt. Allen picked up the trembling man with his left claw. He crushed the man's skull and threw away the limp body. Allen licked the blood on the claw. He can't understand why but he sort of enjoyed seeing people suffer.

"Stupid humans...", Allen muttered derisively but tears flowed out of his eyes.

ooOoOOoooOOoOoOOoooo

Sheryl noticed that it was already getting dark. Maybe he should just head back home now. He'd been trying to find the boy. Allen, the boy with the Musician's brother. He had already guessed that the foruteenth brother may have been killed back in that alley. It was possible. But he was still wondering who killed the persons that attacked them... Suddenly, the minister stopped. He gazed around. There were several bodies lying around on the snow. He bent down on one of the bodies and swabbed some of the blood. It seemed a little fresh. He stood up and continued to walked around. Then out of the distance, Sheryl saw a small figure amidst the dead bodies. He approached Allen."Boy..."

Allen looked up at the minister. The minister was partly surprised to see Allen mostly covered in blood. The Minister was now certain who killed all of the people here... Sheryl noticed Allen's left hand. It was abnormally red. Sheryl felt pity on the boy. The boy seems to be the kind that doesn't trust people easily. Now, he knew why. On a world where people judges by looks, any deformity can be considered as a curse. But on the minister's opinion, it's not enough as an excuse to mistreat a person. The only perosn the boy seems to trust deeply was the Musician's brother but now he was gone. The minister ruffled Allen's hair and smiled at him despite their surroundings.

"Boy, do you want to join my family?", he asked.

"Sir Sheryl...", Allen said, startled. He was surprised that the minister still wanted to adopt him even though he saw his left arm.

"Hmm, so what do you say?", the minister said. Allen just nodded. The minister extended a hand to him. Allen took it and stood up. Even at a short time, the boy had gotten close to him.


	5. A path to a new beginning

_**Suishou Yume: Hai, Hai, Thanks for you reviews. I made Tricia here to be an understanding wife. I've noticed that most people doesn't like her... Well, Sheryl must have married her for a good reason. Anyway, here's a new chapter!**_

"Who is that boy, Sheryl?", Tricia Camelot asked warily.

It was almost six o' clock p.m when the minister arrived at the estate. Tricia was surprised that her husband had brought home a boy. The boy looked tired. But what gotten Tricia's attention is that the boy was mostly covered in blood. Allen looked up at the minister's wife with tired eyes.

"I'll explain later...", the minister said. He had one of the maids to attend to Allen. He plainly watched as they both disappeared into one of the rooms then turned to his wife."Where's Road?"

"Road said she'll stay at the Duke's for this week", Tricia said then peered closer at her husband."Who's that boy, Sheryl?"

"He's...", Sheryl began then stopped. His memory flashed back when Road had asked him what the musician's son might look like. So it wasn't really the musician's brother that reminded him of Allen. It was a vague memory of the fourteenth himself from his inner noah. The boy... was the Musician's son.

"Sheryl...?"

The minister sat down."What have I done?", Sheryl asked Tricia. He buried his face in his hands.

"Sheryl...", Tricia said, she knelt besides her husband. She placed a hand over the minister's left hand and gave him a warm smile."I don't know what the situation is but there's always a positive part of it..."

"Of course...", the minister said. He returned his wife's smile. Tricia was right. Even the worse situation has a bright side. Sometimes, humans surprise him. They're the ones who usually comes up with possible solution to a problem that seems impossible to solve. The Duke wasn't still sure if the Musician's son was really the Fourteenth's successor.

The minister remembered the boy's deformed arm. Somehow, he got a glimpse of a green cross embedded on it. Innocence. He can easily destroy that but he'll need the boy's permission. It might hurt him badly but it was a way out. A way out of the war. He'll try keep the boy from the war just like what he was trying to do with Tricia. The minister stood up and suddenly kissed Tricia full in the lips. After a few seconds, the minister pulled away and whispered a silent thanks.

Tricia smiled and only watched as her husband went up the stairs. She touched her lips gently. She was glad to help her husband in her own small way...

Allen stared at his reflection in front of the mirror. The minister's maids had already got out of the room. But he had already seen their reactions when they saw his deformed arm. They were the same... He pounded the cursed arm against the wall until it started to bleed.

"Mana...", Allen murmured. Allen heard the door of the room closed and opened but he didn't turned around. The minister approached Allen and tapped him.

"I could give you a way out, Allen..."

"A way out?", Allen repeated, looking up.

"It's a way for you to begin again... A new life", the minister said.

"How?"

The minister smiled and held the boy's left arm gently. His fingers lingering above the bright green cross. His inner noah was already urging him to destroy the boy's innocence. He let the dark matter flow to his right arm. The dark matter formed a sharp end on the minister's finger. Allen let out a scream as it pierce at the embedded innocence. The boy started struggling out of the minister's grasp. Sheryl stricted the boy's movement. The dark matter continued to pierce at the green cross. It started to show cracks... Allen let out another scream as the innocence shattered.

Blood started to gushed out of the fresh wound. Allen stumbled forward and fainted due to blood loss. Sheryl managed to catch the unconscious boy. He quickly called one of the maids. The maid quickly tended Allen's wound and brought him to another room. It was the same room where Allen stayed when Sheryl first brought Allen home.

The minister ordered the maid to leave the room. He sat beside the bed and gently brushed the boy's hair aside. The boy stirred and silently murmured.

"Mana..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_"Please take care of him, Mana", a man said._

_Allen can't clearly see that man's face. All he could see was that the man had a long hair which was tied in a low ponytail. A golden ball with a pair of wings was resting on the man's shoulders._

_"Do you really need to do that, Neah?", another man asked. It sounded familiar to Allen. Then he realized it was Mana's voice._

_Neah let out a weak laugh."I wish I don't have to but I don't have much of a choice here..."_

_"We'll be going now...", Mana said. He picked up Allen and carried him. Mana gave Neah a long look. He could see his younger brother's hesitation. Mana smiled warmly at his brother._

_Neah hinted a brief smile. He reached out and ruffled Allen's brown hair."Goodbye, Allen", he said. Allen noticed a sad tone in his voice."Don't you go forgetting me, Allen. Father will be sad if you did..."_

_Tears started to flow down Neah's eyes. Small hands reached out and touched the Musician's face. Neah found himself staring at a pair of wide silver eyes._

_"Fa... Father..."_

_Neah held Allen's small hands."You'll never forget me, right?... Allen?"_

Allen slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and noticed that they were wet. Had he been crying? Allen faintly remembered his dream. He remembered calling someone 'father'. Although, he can't remember now who he was.

Allen took a glance at his left arm. It still hurt a bit. He was surprised to see that it looked somewhat normal. It wasn't deformed like before. He got out of the bed and noticed someone sleeping besides the bed. It was the minister. Allen smiled to himself. He got a blanket and covered the minister using it.

_'He's really just like Mana...', _Allen thought then left the room. He closed the door behind him.

"Now, who is this boy?", someone said in a singsong voice.

Allen looked up and saw two men in front of him. The second one looks like the minister in someway."I don't remember seeing him before, Duke", the man said then peered closer at Allen,"What's your name, shounen?"

"Uhh... it's Allen Walker...", Allen answered, a little bit startled. He bowed slightly at them.

"Allen Walker, eh?", Tyki repeated in a amused tone. He smiled to himself. He hadn't seen that name in the records his brother had given to him. It might mean something.


	6. Darkness beneath the mask

_**Selfine: Hello everyone! Thanks again for the reviews! A question too, What is the name of the minister's dog? If it isn't mentioned in the manga, you can give the author any suggestions. The author really needs it, thanks in advance!**_

* * *

"Allen Walker, eh?", Tyki repeated. Allen saw a brief amusement in the man's eyes but then it was gone. The man sighed."Brother shouldn't just go adopting kids when he feels like it."

"You're Sir Sheryl's brother?", Allen asked.

Tyki smiled."As much as I hate to admit it, he is...", he said."Now, where is he?"

Allen glanced at the door behind him and back at the minister's brother. The minister was still sleeping inside and didn't want them to disturb him his sleep. The man with Sheryl's brother reached out to open the door.

"Ah, Sir!", Allen exclaimed. As soon as his hand touched the Duke's, Allen felt a jolt. He withdrew his hand immediately. Allen gazed at his right hand. It was trembling a little.

'He's dangerous...', a voice warned.

Allen was a little bit startled by this but then he recognized it. It was the Musician's voice... What does he mean that the Duke was dangerous?"Uhh... He... Sir Sheryl's still sleeping...", he said politely.

"Sleeping, eh", Duke Millenum repeated. He had been looking at Allen with a strange look in his eyes. It made Allen uncomfortable."I guess we shouldn't disturb him then..."

Allen was relieve. Somehow, he'd already guessed that the minister wasn't able to sleep much last night. A maid came up and told them that breakfast was already prepared.

"I suppose you should join us for breakfast, Allen-kun", The Duke offered. Allen hesitated. He was partly afraid of the Duke because of the Musician's warning but it would be rude if he let down the Duke's offer. So he said yes. That's why he found himself staring at the empty plate in front of him. He had just finished eating and had been straing at the plate for minutes. The Duke and Tyki noticed this...

"You're awfully quiet, shounen", Tyki said,"Are you always like this?"

Allen looked up from the plate. He looked at Tyki. The Noah of Pleasure immediately noted fear in the boy's eyes before he looked at the plate again. The boy was scared... But of whom? Allen noticed a hite dog appraoched him beneath the table. The fear he felt had disappeared. The dog reminded him of the dog Mana used to have at the circus.

"Ah, sorry", Tricia exclaimed."He just went in..."

"It's alright, Tricia...", The Duke said.

Tricia gazed at Allen and the dog. It seems to like the boy. Maybe she could..."He seems to like you, Allen", she said, smiling at the boy." Would you mind if you walk him? Since you're already finished eating..."

Allen's eyes lit up."I wouldn't mind it, Ma'm!", he said.

Tricia had to smile. Sheryl still hadn't told her where he had gotten the boy but she could already see that Allen was a nice boy. Quite a gentleman, too. Allen stood up from the seat and approached the minister's wife followed by the dog. The Duke and Tyki only watched as they left. Tyki sighed and turned to the Millenium Earl."He was scared, Duke...", he said.

The Millenium Earl smiled,"So, you've noticed it too, Tyki-pon..."

"Though I don't know of whom he was scared of..."

"It's evident that he was scared of me, Tyki...", The Duke said."Something seems to be different about that boy.."

"He said his name is Allen Walker, right?", Tyki said," You know, I don't remember seeing any records of a boy in that name in the files my brother had given to me..."

"No records?", The Earl repeated and thought for a moment,"I guess we'll need to have Road over this."

"Speak of the devil...", Tyki muttered as he saw a red-checkered door appeared at the middle of the dinner hall. The heart-shaped door swung open and Road came out of it.

"Ne, so this is where you are!", Road exclaimed."I've been looking for you! I can't believe you left me all alone at the Ark!"

"Perfect timing as always, Road..."

"Eh?", Road asked.

"We need you to look after a certain boy, Road...", The Millenium Earl began.

"You're going to make me look after some kid? That's not fun", Road pouted, swinging around a pink umbrella carelessly. She went to the table and sat on a chair."I'm already getting bored, Millenie..."

"But Rodo~ He isn't the typical boy you usually see around...", The Duke said."I'm sure you'll enjoy this one..."

This had gotten Road's attention. The Duke rarely refers a human as different. She might as well try this one."What's his name, Millenie?"

"Allen Walker."

"Allen, eh?", Road repeated with interest,"Where is he?"

Tyki smiled."He's at the garden with Tricia right now...", he said,"Actually, he's your adopted brother now."

"Eh?", Road exclaimed.

"Though I think the boy must be quite special to get both the Duke's and my brother's interest", Tyki stated.

"I'm going to check him out now~", Road said in a singsong voice. She stood up and grabbed Lero. The Noah of Dreams happily skipped out of the dinner hall with Lero.

"I guess I should take my leave now...", The Duke said, standing up,"You coming too, Tyki-pon?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here...", Tyki said,"It might get interesting here..."

Allen was playing with the white dog. He still doesn't know its name but it seems to like him. Tricia only watched them from afar. He really is a charming boy. Allen reminds her of her husband, Sheryl. One of the maids had already commented that the boy looks faintly similar to the minister. The dog's ears perked up and approached a girl with spiky blue hair. Allen looked up. For a moment, Tricia wondered if Road would accept Allen but the feeling vanished when she saw Road gave him a smile. A warm smile. Road crouched in front of the small boy.

"You seem to be interesting...", Road said in a low voice."...He was right."

Allen looked at her with wide silver eyes. What does she mean by that? Road reached over and ruffled his hair."I'm Road Camelot", she introduced herself."You're soon-to-be sister..."

Is she the minister's daughter? Allen wondered. Maybe she is."Do you want to play with me, Allen?", Road asked.

"Play?"


	7. A veil of innocence

_**Selfine: Hello everyone. Soo, no dog's name? I guess we'll be just naming him, Lourd. Here's a new update! Maybe I should place a disclaimers now, I always forget about those things..**_

_**Suishou Yume: It's your fault.**_

_**Selfine: Anyway, the disclaimers: My mistress doesn't own the characters in D. Gray Man, all she owns is this fanfic! And me!

* * *

**_

"Play?", Allen asked,"What game?"

Road only smiled at him."You'll find out later", she said mysteriously. She took Allen's hand and lead him out of the garden. Lourd, the white dog, followed them. Tricia smiled as she watched the two entered the mansion. They walked through the vast hallway and entered the minister daughter's room. Allen looked around the room. He partly expected it to be in bright colors since it was a girl's room but it was in deep purple.

"What are we going to play, Miss Road?", Allen asked politely.

"Just call me Road", she said and sat on her bed. She swayed her legs. She glanced at Allen. She wondered if he'll look cute with girl's clothes on.

"Uhh, Road...", Allen began. Road flashed a smile at him again, she turned to her closet and started pulling out dresses that she doesn't use much. Finally, she found the perfect dress."Let's play dolls, Allen. I'll dress you up and you'll be my doll!"

"I've never heard that game before...", Allen said. He was sitting on her bed and was petting Lourd. The dog was obviously enjoying Allen's company." Also, isn't it wrong for a boy to wear a girl's dress?"

"No, it's not. Even father does it...", Road lied."And he's always the doll..."

"He does?", Allen repeated. If the minister also plays the game then it must be alright. Allen hopped off the bed and gave a brief smile at Road.

"Now, let's dress you up~!", Road said with delight.

Sheryl slowly opened his eyes as sunlight shone on him. He had overslept. He let out a yawn and stretched up. A blanket slid off him. He picked it up, who could be the one that placed it on him? He glanced around the room. Allen must have awaken early. He stepped in front of the room's mirror and fixed his hair. He let out a sigh as he saw the noah's shadow reflecting on the mirror. It was the shadow of the fourth disciple, Desires. It seemed to question him why he had spared the boy's life. the inner noah doesn't care how young a person is as long as it has innocence, it should be killed immediately_.'I'm still partly human after all...', _Sheryl thought.

He went downstairs and was surprised to see his brother at the dinner hall. He hadn't expected him. Tyki looked up from the book he had been reading. "You're finally awake...", he greeted."The Duke got tired of waiting and left..."

"The Duke was here?", Sheryl repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah", Tyki said,"He was also interested in that boy you adopted..."

"He... He was?", Sheryl said. Tyki couldn't help but notice a slight surprised tone in his brother's voice. He turned back to his book."I think he's with Road now...", Tyki said.

At the same moment, they both saw a small girl with a huge white ribbon tied on her short brown hair. The little girl was wearing a short frilly dress. She glanced around the dinner hall then went to hide behind a large vase. Sheryl thought there was something familiar about that girl.

"Where are you, Allen~", someone sang in the hall. Road entered the hall followed by Lourd and glanced around. She looked at the minister and her uncle."Have you seen Allen?"

Getting no answer from them, she strolled out of the room. Lourd decided to stay. They could hear the ninth disciple calling for Allen. Lourd trotted to the large vase where the girl had hidden. The two noah glanced at it. The girl peered out of it..

_'That can't be the boy, can he?', _Tyki thought.

Sheryl took a long glance at the girl and almost... Almost squealed. He realized that it was Allen. He hadn't recognize it the first time. Road really does have a talent with such things. He couldn't help but praise her.

"Is she gone?", Allen asked as he stepped out of the large vase.

Sheryl snapped out of his thoughts and nodded to Allen."What happened?", he asked Allen.

Allen shrugged his cute little shoulder. Sheryl's nose bleeded a little which he quickly wiped away.'_There he goes again...' _Tyki thought dryly. There are times when his brother's serious... and sane. And there are times when his not.

"We were just playing... I think she got carried away", Allen said then glanced at the minister."You must have been real good to finish the game, Sir Sherly..."

"Just call me Father since you're now my adopted son..", Sheryl said warmly but then froze."...What game, Allen?"

"Road said you used to play with her", Allen said with innocence," You always played the doll part... Wasn't it hard?"

Sheryl's mouth hanged open while Tyki let out a pleasured laugh. The boy is really so innocent. He didn't even see through the First Child's lie. Lourd only wagged his tail. He didn't understand what was happening but he saw his master's brother laughing, so he just wagged.

Road had already searched the last room in the mansion but she still couldn't find Allen, what she found was Lero. She had almost forgotten about the noisy pink umbrella. Lero's presence had reminded the ninth disciple of the Duke's request to her. She had been carried away in their game that she forgotten about it.

She summoned her door and went inside it. She emerged into the other end and came into a town with lots of white buildings. There really wasn't much in that place. Except that it's the Noah's former home. The Noah's Ark. She entered the building with the tall tower and went to the Duke's.

He was at the same room, sitting at the center of the room. Surrounding him were several telephones, all numbered. Road carefully leaped over them and approached the Duke.

"Hi, Lulu", Road greeted as she saw the Noah of Lust on the Duke's lap. Lulu Bell was currently in her cat form.

"Did you find anything interesting, Rodo?", The Duke asked.

"I did", Road said,"But I want a week's supply of candy in exchange of this..."

"Of course", Duke Millenium said. The ninth disciple had an occasional love for sweets. Maybe it had been her fault that the Noah of Wrath had developed a sweet tooth. Maybe.

"You promised", Road said with a faint smile. She leaped behind the Duke and hanged onto him, peering over his shoulder."I found out that little Allen's surrounded by innocence..."

"By innocence?"

Road nodded."Yeah, but the innocence is shattered", she said, swinging her legs."He doesn't seem to notice it. It's too shattered to do much harm but just enough for a noah to feel its presence..."

The Duke thought for a moment, stroking the Noah of Lust's fur. A boy with a shattered innocence adopted by a noah. Somehow, the Duke felt like something wasn't right about that. He'll need to learn more about that boy. The Millenium Earl stood up. Lulu Bell and Road landed on the floor. He turned to both noahs with his smile getting wider by the second."It seems like we found a very amusing child", he said.


	8. The Musician's sucessor

**Selfine: Hello everyone! Here's an update for Into Deep Mist! I hope you'll like this one. Somehow, I sensed that the author is thinking something weird right now... Oh, kindly remember to leave a review, that would make my mistress extremely happy and motivated. Oh, the author has rewritten this and corrected those lil mistakes!  
**

**Pairings: Selfine and Lourd! An absolute puppy love! (Yume: Don't mind this one)**

**Warnings: A really worried minister, cigarette smoking, a certain annoying twins, out of tune song and a kitty!(err... cat)**

**Sachiel Angelo- Yeah it is but I'll get it to turn into silvery white somehow...**

**Firehedgehog- I'm guessing that his over protective innocence would the least of his worries.**

**MysteryPurplePerson, Belletiger BT, The Puppeteer Master- Thanks for the reviews!**

Sheryl watched as Allen played with Lourd. Tricia sat beside him. Somehow, Sheryl couldn't get himself to relax. He was still partly worried about the Duke. What if the Duke found out about Allen's identity? Will he kill him? Tricia glanced at her husband . She noticed that her husband was tensed. Something was bothering him.

Tricia placed a hand over his."What's the matter?", she asked.

The minister forced out a smile."It's nothing...", he assured her but it was evident that Tricia wasn't convince.

"You still haven't told me where you found Allen", Tricia said, changing the subject.

"Ah, of course... I almost forgot", the minister said,"I found Allen after... After his foster father died but that wasn't our first meeting..."

"It wasn't?... Then when?", Tricia asked.

The minister gazed at Allen as he remembered his first meeting with the boy."He got separated from his foster father...I just happened to pass by and decided to help him. It happened during the time when you visited a friend of yours."

"I-I see...", Tricia said. She didn't know that the boy's foster father had died. It must have been hard for someone that young. Meanwhile, Allen was enjoying playing with Lourd. It really reminds him of Star. Lourd's ears perked up and ran inside the mansion. Allen got up and ran after it...Or tried to. He quickly lost sight of the energetic white dog. Worse of all, he didn't know where he was. He glanced around nerviously. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a black cat came out of one of the rooms.

He didn't know that they own a cat. He crouched in front of him, attempting to pet it. He remembered he had never had much luck around cats."Please don't bite me...", he said in a small voice.

Luckily, it didn'r bite or scratch him. The cat walked over and nuzzled its fur at him. Allen picked it up and stroked his fur. Whose cat could it be? He glanced at the room where it had came from. He peered inside and saw a black piano. He let himself in and sat on the stool in front of the piano. He lightly touched the keys. Mana had teached him how to play a piano at one point. He played the song while singing along.

_Soshite bouya wa nemuri ni tsuita, Ikizuku hai no naka no honoo hitotsu, futatsu to_

_Ukabu fukaramii itoshii yokogao, daichi ni taruru ikusen no_

_Yume, yume..._

_Gin no hitomi no yaragu yaru ni, Omareochita kagayaku omae..._

_" Allen, do you remembered the code we made up?", Mana asked. Allen looked up and made a small nod. Mana smiled and placed a hand on Allen's shoulder," Now, I'll teach you how to play it in a piano.."_

_"It was a song?"_

_Mana nodded. They entered a music store and the owner gave them a warm smile and motioned to a grand piano. Mana nudged Allen into the tall stool. Mana stood behind him to guide him."Try to remember this, Allen. This a really important song, it once belonged to your father._

_"...My father?"_

_ikouko no toshitsuki ga, ikutsu inori o tsuchi e kaeshite mo_

_watashi wa inori tsuzukeru, douka konoko ni ai o_

_tsunaida te ni kisu o_

He finished up the last notes, feeling satisifed that even after a long time of not playing, he still remembered the notes. But he had never met his father. What could his father look like? Is he still alive?

_'I'm still here, Allen...', _the Musician wanted to say but he knew that the less Allen knew, the safer he would be. No matter how much Neah wanted to tell his son, he couldn't. He'll be risking his son's life that way.

Allen glanced at the door and found Tricia standing there. He quickly stood up."I'm sorry!", he apologized quickly.

"It's alright, Allen", Tricia said and crouched in front of Allen. She gave him a small smile."I didn't know you can play the piano, who teached you to?"

"Mana...", Allen answered in a soft voice.

"I remembered the Duke used to play the same song..."

"The Duke?"

Tricia smiled."You met him earlier. He was the one with Tyki, Sheryl's brother", she said,"Where's Lourd? I thought he'll be with you..."

"I sort of lost him..."

"Why don't we try to find him and maybe we can have some dessert..."

Allen beamed and happily nodded. They both left the room, clearly forgetting about a certain black cat. Lulu Bell sat up and glanced at the wall. She turned just in time to see the Noah of Pleasure went through the wall. Tyki glanced at her with interest. Lulu Bell strolled out of the room and ran up to catch with them. Tyki lit up a cigarette and smiled to himself. Things were really starting to get interesting...

**Into Deep Mist~ Into Deep Mist~**

Road leaned lazily against her chair and licked the lollipop she had gotten from the Duke. She gazed at the door as she saw two figures standing there. She was surprised to see them. They rarely visit them.

"Where are the others, Road?", Devitto asked.

"They're all busy...", she answered plainly,"They're at our house"

"Maybe we should go there...", Jasdero suggested.

Devitto nodded with a grin."I bet it's more fun there..."

Road sat up straight and glanced at the twins."You know you're not allowed there", she said.

"Yeah? No one's going to stop us", Devitto declared. Road sighed as the twins started for the door but they were stopped by Tyki."Hey, hey. Where do you think you're going?", Tyki said."You're still banned from Sheryl's house."

"Fine!", they said and left the room, fuming. Tyki sighed and sat beside the Noah of Dreams."I saw Lulu with the boy this afternoon...", he said.

"The Duke wants her to stay with him for a while. Just to get enough information about him."

"I see...", Tyki said,"I'm also starting to wonder how my brother came across the boy..."

**Into Deep Mist~ Into Deep Mist~**

"Where have you gotten that cat, Allen?", Tricia asked as she watched the odd black cat playing with Lourd. She was surprised that it gotten along with their dog.

"I found it upstairs... I thought it was yours."

Tricia shook her head."I've never seen that cat before..."

"You haven't?", Allen repeated, clearly confused."Can we keep it?"

"I guess... You'll have to ask Sheryl about that", she said. Allen picked up the cat. Tricia smiled and followed Allen. They found Sheryl at the veranda of the mansion.

"Uhh...", Allen began. He still wasn't used in calling him father."F-father, can I keep this cat?"

The minister looked up and was surprised to see the Noah of Lust held up by his adopted son."Lulu Bell...", he said without thinking.

"Lulu Bell? Is that the cat's name?"

"Have you seen this cat before?', Tricia asked.

"It used to be a friend's pet. I guess it decided to stay here...", the minister said, quickly covering up his mistake. He flashed a force smile at Allen."Of couse, you can keep it."

"Thank you!", Allen said beaming.

Tricia noticed a flash of worry in her husband's eyes. He had been worrying too much these days. If only he would tell her then maybe it would help the minister to ease his problems away.


	9. An unforeseen event

**Selfine: Haaii, Thank you very much for correcting my Mistress' mistake at the previous chapter!**

**Suishou Yume: I really appreciate it...**

**Selfine: And it's a constant lesson to remind a certain mistress to 'not make last the minute updates especially if its almost midnight'.**

**Suishou:...Y-yeah**

**Selfine: Sooo, here's a new chapter! Hope you'll like it! Oh and please leave a review!**

It was already deep in the night. Lulu Bell got up, still in her cat form. She leaped from the boy and landed gracefully on the floor. She glanced at the sleeping boy. If one was going to describe him, one word would best fit him. Innocent. She flicked her long tail and strolled quietly out of the room.

Allen heard the slightest sound and slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He glanced around and noticed that the black cat was nowhere to be found.

"Lulu Bell?", Allen called. Where is she?

He got out of his bed with a yawn. He peered out of his room and got out quietly. As he walked through the hall, he could't help but feel slightly scared. It's too dark... And too quiet. He hid behind one of the rooms as he heard voices coming his way..

Jasdero glanced at the dark hallway and back to Devitto."Aren't we banned from Sheryl's mansion?"

Devitto smirked."Just because we wrecked this place before, doesn't mean they could ban us from here", he said,"I, mean, look, the akumas managed to fix this place before Sheryl could even notice..."

"Yeah... But what about Tyki?", Jasdero asked. He wasn't clearly convinced. He shivered as he remembered Tyki's threat to them.

"Nah, don't worry about him," Devitto said, trying to wave off his twin's worries. He stopped walking. He glanced at one of the rooms and pointed his gun at it. The door of the room was slightly opened. They both kicked the door wide open. Allen quickly ducked at the dark corner of the room. Jasdevi stepped inside. Allen hoped they won't see him. Whoever they are, they must be intruders. As soon as they twin's back were turned, Allen scampered from his hiding place and ran out.

"Hey!", they yelled after him.

As Allen ran through the dark hallway, He looked for another place to hide. He saw a door that he recognized faintly, he quickly ran inside it. He felt his way inside the room. Wait... Isn't this the piano room he found earlier? Allen glanced again at the door. Please don't let them find him... He backed up a few steps. He expected to feel the wall behind him but instead he fell backwards...

Allen blinked twice. He looked up and found himself staring at a town with lots of white buildings around. He slowly got up on his feet and glanced around. Where was he?... And it's too bright in here even though it's midnight. Allen strolled around, trying to make sense at the place where he was at. After a few minutes, he stopped as he realized he got lost... Again

He groaned. Why didn't he just went back to his room earlier? Why did his curiosity have to get better of him? One of the buildings caught his attention. He don't know why. It just did. He cautiously opened it and stepped inside... Allen noticed that it was getting darker as he went down the seemingly endless stairway. How long will it take before he reached the bottom? he wondered. He soon caught sight of a large egg-like thing. What was it? Allen peered closer at it.

It looked like a large hard-boiled egg to him. He tried to poke at it but he heard footsteps coming down. He took a quick glance around and luckily, saw a side room. He ran towards it, as quietly as he could. He eased the door open and stepped inside... And then he looked up.

Even in the weird darkness of the room, Allen could make out several skeletal like things there. And there were lots of it. He backed up a few small steps and then felt himself bumped against something. He knew it wasn't the door. A horrified expression swept over his face as he saw what was behind him.. The first thing that came into his mind was that it wasn't human. It had a weird thing that almost looks like a skull as a head and wore a large black robe. He turned and staggerd backwards. Allen wished he Mana was still alive... If only...

_'Allen, don't', _the Musician warned.

Allen didn't even heard the Musician's warning, he was busy being afraid. He wanted Mana by his side. He shut his eyes tight..."Mannaaaa!"

One of the skeletal like things started to move. The name 'Mana' etched on its forehead. It moved stiffly."What have you done to me?

Allen opened his eyes. He recognized the voice."Mana...?"

**~Into deep mist ~Into deep mist**

Lulu Bell couldn't help but notice the Duke's overly joyful mood. The Duke kept swinging his chair as he continued to stroke Lulu Bell's fur. She had just finished reporting regarding the boy and seemed to have lifted up his mood.

"I didn't exactly expected that the Musician's son was just within our grasp...", the Duke said, slightly chuckling,"Isn't it wonderful, Lulu Bell?"

Lulu Bell mewed in response and relaxed herself on the Millenium Earl's lap. Suddenly, the Duke stopped swinging his chair. He stood ap and picked up Lulu Bell. The Noah of Lust let out a mew to question the Earl. The Millenium Earl glanced at the black cat and continued to stroke its fur again."It seems like we have an unwanted guest inside the Ark..."

**~Into deep mist ~Into deep mist**

Sheryl woke up with a start. He sat on his bed and wiped away the beads of sweat. He glanced out at the window. It was still dark outside. Tricia was still sleeping peacefully beside him. His father senses were tingling. Surprisingly, it wasn't the 'Road antenna' that was tingling. It was the 'Allen' one. He got out of the bed and opened the door quietly but it still managed to awake Tricia.

"Where are you going?", Tricia asked sleepily.

"Just going to check on the children..."

"At this time of night?"

"Yeah...", Sheryl said with a smile."You should just go back to sleep now. I'll come back later."

Sheryl then left the room. He knew something was wrong, he just couldn't guess what it was. He headed quickly to Allen's room and was surprised to see it open. He stepped inside. It was clear that Allen wasn't there and so was Lulu Bell. Where were they?

He can't help feeling panicky. Besides children aren't suppose to go on midnight excursions...


	10. The return of the Heart

**Selfine: Thanks for those reviewed the previous chapter! Thank you very much! Here's a new chapter! Oh, please don't blame Allen! It's not his fault!**

**Suishou Yume:... Really. Please leave a review! Ah, I'm having a poll on my profile. Just so I could know on which fanfic I should focus on. Please help me choose!**

_**~Truth Beneath the Illusions (Multi-pairings, includes: ManaXAllen, ChomesukeXOC...)**_

_**~Flickering Shadows (Warnings: NoahMana, NoahAllen and possibly DarkAllen)**_

_**~Into Deep Mist (Main pairings: SherylXAllen, SherylXTricia and NeahXAllen)**_

_**~Symphony of Dreams (Main pair is RoadXAllen)**_

_**~Taking Care of Lil Timcanpy ( AllenXTimcanpy)**_

_**~Class S: Young Marriage Project (Multi-pairings)**_

Sheryl kept pacing back and forth inside Allen's empty room. Where would a child like Allen go at this time of hour? If it had been Road, he would have easily assumed she was at the Ark but this was Allen. He'd never been at the Noah's Ark. Sheryl stopped pacing and just decided to look for the boy.

He stepped out of the room and stumbled upon Jasdero and Devitto. For a moment, Jasdero mistook Sheryl as Tyki because of the darkness and the minister wasn't wearing his monocle. Sheryl peered closer at them and finally asked them,"What are you doing here?... And at this time of night?", he pressed.

"Uhh... Uhh...", the twins stammered. What should they tell the minister?

Sheryl decided to just ask them another question."Have you seen a boy around?", the minister asked,"He's about eight years old and has a brown hair..."

Jasdero glanced at his twin thoughtfully."Could that be...", he began but he wasn't able to finish because the minister grabbed hold of him and started shaking almost frantically.

"You've seen him?"

Devitto removed the minister's grip from his twin."You're over reacting, Sheryl...", he said. Had the minister developed some new complex over that boy overnight?."Who's that boy, anyway?"

Sheryl just shook his head and stared warily at both of them."I need you to help me find him...", he said.

**~Into Deep Mist ~Into Deep Mist**

"**What have you done to me, Allen?", **the skeletal thing moaned. It took a stiff step forward.

"Ma... Mana?", Allen said, his eyes widening. It was Mana's voice...

**"A... Llen**...", it said. It's voice was slowly turning into rage."**Why did you turn me into an akuma?"**

"An... Akuma?", Allen repeated in a small voice. Allen suddenly cried out as he felt a searing pain through his left eye. The akuma had cutted through it. He covered his left eye in disbelief. It was bleeding furiously. He backed up a few steps away from Mana... Why did he...

_'That's not...', _the musician said but to Allen his voice was only a mere background.

The Skull only watched in amusement. A foolish child. It was a mistake that he had came inside the room where their Dear Duke kept the akuma egg. A fatal mistake. Suddenly, Allen felt himself staring at a hovering silver mask. What?- A white cloak enveloped Allen in a almost protective way. The mask turned and faced Mana... Somehow, Allen knew what it wanted to do. No... No, not that. Please.

"Nooo!", Allen yelled as a white sharp tendril shot out of the white cloak aimed at Mana. It pierced through the skelatal skin of the akuma's shell. Allen watched in horror as it slowly crumbled into nothing but dust... He started towards it but fell on his knees."No!"

**"...I love you... Allen..."**

Allen can't believe it... He lost Mana... Twice. Tears started to well up on his eyes. Why? Why do this things happen to him? He wasn't aware of his surroundings anymore. He didn't care if his left eye was currently bleeding or the white cloak that had destroyed Mana was moving on its own now, destroying those empty shells. His vision started to dim and he fell unconscious.

**~Into Deep Mist ~Into Deep Mist**

"... You left the Ark's gate open...", Sheryl said, glancing at the twins. Jasdevi couldn't help shudder at the minister's serious glare."If Allen happened to be inside and something bad happened to him... I'm holding you responsible."

The twins watched agape as the minister entered the Ark's gate, they've never sen this side of Sheryl. He's much scarier than Tyki, they've decided as they followed the minister inside. Sheryl stopped and glanced around at the familiar surroundings of the Noah's Ark. Where would Allen go?, he wondered then he spotted a building with an open door.

His eyes widen as he recognized it. It was one of the doors leading down to the room where the Duke kept the Egg. He ran towards it, hoping against hope that Allen didn't go there. He quickly ran downstairs. It seemed like there were no changes on the Egg itself. He leaped over the last steps and glanced at the only sideroom. There were lots of Skulls crowding near it.

"What's going on?", he demanded as he made his way past them.

"... Master Sheryl...", the skull began and gazed at the side room. Sheryl followed the skull's gaze and gasped.

Allen was lying on the cold floor, obviously unconscious. On a puddle of blood. He stepped inside and glanced at the room. All of the empty akuma shells were destroyed. The memory of the day Sheryl adopted Allen where bodies lay on the snow flashed before him. He shook his head and rushed to Allen's side.

He picked up the small boy, some of the blood on Allen's face stained his white shirt. The first thing he noticed was that the boy's hair was now white and there was a nasty scar across his left eye.

"Allen...", the minister whispered and brushed Allen's hair briefly aside. His left eye had almost stopped bleeding. He glanced around again. The only thing he thought how the boy destroyed the shells was using his innocence. He rolled up the boy's left sleeve, which just confirmed his suspision... Somehow, the boy's innocence had returned but how?

"...Ne, what's happening here?", someone asked sleepily.

Sheryl turned and saw Road standing at the door by Tyki, Jasdevi, Lulu Bell and the Duke. He shook his head."...It's Allen..", he said, almost whispering.

"Anway, we should bring him back to your mansion...", the Duke said and then nodded at Tyki. Tyki gently took Allen from Sheryl. He was about to follow the other noahs but the Duke stopped him."There's something that had been bothering me for a while, Sheryl...", the Duke said.

Sheryl slightly averted his gaze from the Duke. He had a feeling he knew what the Duke was about to say. What had been bothering him. Maybe he can't really avoid the question. If not now, sooner or later, the other noahs would ask him.

"Tell me the truth, Sheryl", the Duke said in a serioud voice that didn't seem to bleong to him."Where did you first met Allen? And how?


	11. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**I'm reeaaalllyyy sorry, there's a problem that came up and all of my updates vanished... sort of. Please understand. i'll make it up to all of you...**

**~Suishou Yume**


	12. The sealing of the fourteenth

**Selfine:Chow! Hello everyone! I have a good and bad news for you. The good one is this is updated, the bad one is this is the last epsiode. I'm not sure if my mistress will do a sequel but... oh weeelll...**

**Please leaves some reviews!

* * *

****Chapter: The sealing of the Fourteenth**

_"...Allen..."_

_Little Allen looked up to see the same man with the blurred face. The man smiled warmly at him and picked Allen carefully."Guess what, Allen?", he said happily,"I'm free the whole day!"_

_"That's great, Neah", Mana said with a smile from behind a large newspaper."I can finally rest for a day..."_

_"Ne?", Neah said, peering over Allen's brown hair,"What are you talking about, Mana? You're coming with us!"_

_Mana groaned and placed down the newspaper. He raised an skeptical eyebrow."And where do you plan to go?"_

_"To the circus..."_

_That made Mana frown."Don't you ever get tired of going there? I can just wear my clown costume and it would be almost the same", he reasoned._

_"That'll be fun...", Neah said, thinking about it," But Allen likes the circus, Mana..."_

_"Fine... If it's for Allen..."_

Allen slowly opened his eyes. He could barely remember what had happened last night. He knew it was something tragic, he can't just remember it clearly. All he remembered was calling for Mana... What had happened? He looked up as the door of the room opened and Tricia peered inside.

"How are you feeling, Allen?", she asked.

He sat up and noticed that his left eye was all covered up."What h-happened?", he asked.

"Tyki found you unconscious at the end of the stairs hours ago... He said you must have fell on the steps", Tricia answered,"You've cut your left eye pretty bad but the doctor said you'll be fine... And he said that your hair probably turned white because of the trauma..."

"My hair?"

Tricia nodded and showed him a handheld mirror. His hair really did turned white. A black cat entered Allen's room and leaped on the boy's lap."Lulu Bell...", Allen said. It was then he remembered what really happened last night... He had turned Mana into an akuma...

Allen bit his lip and stroked Lulu Bell. He happened to glanced at the door and saw the minister with the Duke.

"Tricia...", Sheryl began,"We need to talk to Allen..."

Tricia nodded and left the room. Allen intently averted his gaze from the Duke's and focused on Lulu Bell. The Noah of Lust couldnt' help noticed the boy trembling by each stroke.

"Allen...", the Duke sat beside Allen on the bed."I've noticed this before... Why are you scared of me?"

Allen didn't answer. He still remembered the Musician's warning to him. The Duke sighed and nodded to Sheryl."Why don't you tell us, Allen?", Sheryl said in a gentle voice.

Allen glanced at the minister with a wary look. He couldn't just ignore his new foster father. He stopped stroking Lulu Bell and sighed."So... Someone told me that the... Duke...is dangerous..."

"And who might that be?", the Duke asked.

"I-I'm not sure...", Allen said softly,"But he said he was the Musician..."

The Duke's smile grew wider at that. It raised Allen's possibility as the next musician. Now, he'll just need to earn the boy's trust. With the help of the fourth disciple of course."Allen...", the Duke said,"Are you sure that person can be trusted? What if he's lying?"

Somehow, that thought didn't occured to the boy. He stroked Lulu's fur thoughtfully. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

'_Don't listen to him, Allen...'_

"Allen", this time, it was the minister,"You, of all people, should know by now that not all can be trusted..."

"This... The Musician is lying?"

"Of course, Allen", the Duke said, ruffling Allen's white hair."It's obviously someone who wanted you to hate me of some sorts.."

'_He's lying to you, Allen!'_

To the Duke, it's fairly easy to manipulate a child like Allen, especially one who doesn't easily trusts people."Allen, how can I prove to you that I'm nice?"

That was all it took. Sheryl was surprised when the boy's innocent look suddenly turned fierce. Neah had took over his son's body, activating his Innocence as he did and lunged to the Duke. Neah positioned the sharp ends of the claw near the Duke's throat.'_I'm not going to let you tell my son, filthy lies!"_

"Tsk, tsk, I knew you'd come out", the Duke said, smiling despite the situation he was in,"You can'y just resist your son, can you?... But my dear musician, you've just made a mistake of coming out of your hiding place..."

'_W-what?'_

"It's about time you take a good long rest, my dear disciple", the Duke said and held Allen's forehead,"... A long rest..."

**~Into deep mist ~Into deep Mist**

Road hugged her long legs closer to herself. She knew what was happening at Allen's room right now. She wasn't sure if she exactly agree to the Duke's plan... To seal the previous fourteenth noah, Neah Walker.

"..Road"

"Are we doing the right thing, Tyki?", Road asked the third disciple, she didn't bother looking up.

"I think the Duke knows what he's doing...", Tyki said,"Even if the fourteenth betrayed us, the Duke still cares for him. I mean, didn't he regretted when he had killed the fourteenth?"

Road made a small nod."I guess you're right..."

Tyki sighed and lit up a cigarette then gazed out of the room's window. He didn't want to admit it but he himself doubted the Duke's plan...

**Selfine: Please leave a review!... Say, aren't you going to make a sequel of this?**

**Yume: Who knows? It depends if they want one, anyway...**


	13. Announcement

**Selfine: -ahem- **

**Suishou Yume: Do I have to do this?**

**Selfine: Yep! And you don't have a choice! **

**Yume: Ano... The sequel is sorta ready... Just check my profile... It's not that good. Just warning you.**

**Selfine: -sigh- Hey, guys! My mistress finally finished up the first chappie of this ff's sequel~!  
**


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